Display device

ABSTRACT

A display device having a transparent surrounding wall and a transparent support plate uprightly provided therein, which are supported by means of frames which form a casing. Decorative plates provided at a ceiling and a bottom portion of the casing, respectively have a pattern thereon which includes at least one straight line portion. An upper and a lower edge of said support plate abut on said straight line portion. An object to be on show is divided into two halves, which are put together through said support plate. Thus, the object seems as if it were floating in the air without any means. Such display device is applicable in various ways, for example, for enjoying some things, for advertising some goods, etc.

United States Patent [191 Murakami [54] DISPLAY DEVICE [75] Inventor: Kenji Murakami, Tokyo, Japan [73] Assignees: Kenji Murakami; Tahee Tanaka,

both of Tokyo, Japan 22 Filed: oa.12,197s

[21] Appl. No.: 405,890

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Aug. 29. 1973 Japan 48-100584[U] [52] US. Cl. 40/126 [51] Int. Cl. G09F 19/00 [58] Field of Search 40/126 R, 218, 160; 312/114, 204, 263; D6/l72; 272/8 R, 8 M, 8 D

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,344,250 6/1920 Wheatley 40/126 R 1,810,525 6/1931 Martin 40/126 R 2,499,535 3/1950 Spreen 40/l52.1 2,772,500 12/1956 Cole et a1. 40/160 3,697,147 10/1972 Schulte 312/114 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 50,344 6/1935 Denmark 272/8 51 Nov. 18,1975

Italy 312/114 France 40/126 R [57] ABSTRACT A display device having a transparent surrounding wall and a transparent support plate uprightly provided therein, which are supported by means of frames which form a casing. Decorative plates provided at a ceiling and a bottom portion of the casing, respectively have a pattern thereon which includes at least one straight line portion. An upper and a lower edge of said support plate abut on said straight line portion. An object to be on show is divided into two halves, which are put together through said support plate. Thus, the object seems as if it were floating in the air without any means. Such display device is applicable in various ways, for example, for enjoying some things, for advertising some goods, etc.

5 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures Patent Nov. 18, 1975 Sheet 1 of2 3,919,797

FIG. 5 r l FIG. 1

rlfillIlllil'llifllil'llll FIG. 4

FIG. 2

U.S. Patent Nov. 18,1975 Sheet2of2 3,919,797

FIG. 5

leg 14 13 DISPLAY Davie-E This invention relates to a display device, and more particularly to a-display device withan object which seems as if ,it were floatingin the. air without any holding means.

It has been proposed to provide various kinds of display devices for exhibiting some objects therein. In this. connection, it is to be noted that in a conventional disk play device, an object I, to be shown is supported by some means, for example, a piece of fine wire, a piece of fine stick, etc. which is clearly observed by everyone. It is an object of the present invention to provide a display device having an object therein which seernsas if it were floating in the air.

According to the present invention, there is provided a display device consisting essentially of a casing which is composed ofian upper frame, a lower frame and a plurality of upright frames for supporting a transparent wall; an upper and a lower decorative plate provided at a ceiling portion and a bottom portion of the casing, respectively, a transparent support plate provided uprightly across the decorative plate along the line passing a central portion of said decorative plate, each of the decorative plates provided thereon with a pattern including at least one straight lineportion extending from one side to an opposite side of said plate and a figure portion associated with said straight line portion, the upper and a lowered ge of said transparent support plate abutting on said straight line portion of the pattern onj the upper and the lower decorative plate, respectively; and an object divided into two parts which are put together through said transparent support plate.

The invention will be better understood from the followingdescription taken in "connection with the accompanying drawings 'in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing one form of a display device according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a decorative plate used in the device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a transverse sectional view of another form of a display device according to the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a transverse sectional view of still another form of a display device according to the present invention.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 to 4, there is illustrated one form of a display device embodying the present invention. Numeral l designates a casing which is composed of an upper frame 1a, a lower frame 112, and four upright frames 10 each at a respective corner of the easing. Numeral 2 indicates an inner frame provided in a parallel relation with said upright frame 1c. A transparent plate 3 made of, for example glass or acrylic resin is supported with said upright frame and said inner frame by being inserted therebetween. In this embodiment, four transparent plates form a surrounding wall of the display device. Decorative plates 4,4 are provided at a ceiling portion and a bottom portion of the display device, respectively. On said decorative plate, there is formed a wider groove 5a in a diagonal straight line and a narrower figure groove 5b associated with said wider groove 5a. Said wider groove 5a cooperates with said under surface of the lower decorative plate through a piece of cloth 6. Through said lower decorative plate 4 and said sole plate 7 there are perforated a plurality of holes 8 for air circulation. Numeral9 indicates a support platev of transparent material, eg glass, provided between said inner frames 2,2 diagonally of the decorative plates 4,4. An upper and a lower edge of said support plate are insertedly secured to said wider grooves 5a, on said upper and lower decorative plate 4,4, respectively. When the support glass 9 is inserted into said wider groove 5a, the thickness of said wider groove is seemingly equal to that of the narrower figure groove 512 due to refraction. Accordingly, the wider groove seems as if it were merely a part of the pattern on the decorative plate 4. In addition to this, as all edges of said support glass are covered with the inner frames and with the decorative plates, no one can perceive the existence of the glass9. It is preferable and effective to use a colorless or quiet-color transparent glass for the support plate and, by contrast, to use materials of dark color, as dark as possible, for the upper and the lower decorative plate 4,4 and for the inner frames 2. Be-' cause, owing to the dark color of the decorative plate" and of the inner frame and transparency of the support plate, the connecting portion of the edge of the support plate with the decorative plate or with the inner frame is not seen from the outside. Numeral 11 designates a model of a bird which is an example of an object to be on show. The model is divided into two substantially symmetrical halves 11a and 11b. A sectional face of the half 11a is attached to one face of the support plate 9 and a sectional face of the other half 11b is attached to this invention to make each half of an object on show symmetrical to each other, the more symmetrical, the better.

The holes 8 are perforated through the lower decorative plate 4 and the sole plate 7 in order to prevent the transparent support plate 9 from being damp with condensed moisture caused by temperature difference between the inside and the outside of the display device. The piece of cloth 6 acts as a filter for preventing dust from entering into the case.

Referring to FIG. 5, there is illustrated another form of a display device of the present invention.

Between an upper and a lower decorative plate 12, there are provided a plurality of lucite sticks 13 adjacent to each other at two sides of the casing opposed to each other. Between said opposed lucite sticks 13, there are provided lucite plates 14 at each side-end portion thereof, respectively, and there is supported a lucite support plate 15 at an intermediate portion thereof. In this embodiment, said two plates 14 and said lucite sticks 13 form a surrounding wall. The surface of said decorative plate 12 is colored white and is printed with a pattern 16 Which is composed of a straight line portion 16a of black color extending from one side to the other side and a figure portion 16b associated with said straight line portion 16a so that said straight line portion 16a may seem as if it is a part of the pattern 16. The edge of said lucite support plate 15 is inserted into said straight line portion 16a. The existence of the lu- 3 cite support plate can not be seen through from the outside owing to said lucite sticks 13 and said patern 16.

FIG. 6 is a further form of a display device according to the present invention. A lower decorative plate 17 is shaped oval and an upper decorative plate is of the same shape as of said lower decorative plate 17. There are uprightly provided two frames 18 between said upper and lower decorative plates at both end portions of its major axis of the oval plate as depicted in FIG. 6. By means of said two frames 18, there are supported lucite plates 19 having outwardly curved surfaces acting as a surrounding wall and a lucite support plate 20. The lower decorative plate 17 as well as the upper decorative plate is colored white and has a plurality of straight lines 21 of black color printed in parallel thereon. The edge of said lucite support plate abuts on one of said black straight lines 21.

As mentioned above, according to the present invention, all edges of the support plate for supporting a certain object on show are made visually indistinct and, especially, the upper and the lower edge of said support plate abut on the straight line portion which is a part of the pattern formed on the decorative plate. Therefore, nobody has any idea that such a support plate is there, and the object attached to said support plate seems as if it were floating in the air. The object in cooperation with such a novel display device as discussed above is very attractive, and such display device is applicable in 3 various ways, for example, for en oying some things, for

advertising some goods, etc.

While a few embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described in detail, it is particularly understood that invention is not limited thereto and thereby.

I claim:

l. A display device, comprising a frame provided with upstanding members spaced apart from each other and laterally disposed top and bottom members connected thereto, transparent members mounted to and extending between said upstanding members. decorative panels mounted to said top and bottom members, said decorative panels being provided with a first groove extending across the surface thereof to opposite of said upstanding members and second grooves complimentary in configuration to said first groove and spaced therefrom, said first groove being wider in dimension than said second grooves, a transparent support plate having top and bottom edges fitted within said first groove in concealed relationship and side edges abutting said opposite of said upstanding members in concealed relationship, and an object to be displayed mounted on opposite sides of said transparent support plate.

2. A display device as in claim 1, wherein said object is divided into substantially symmetrical parts, said parts being mounted on opposite sides of said transparent support plate.

3. A display device as in claim 1, wherein said second grooves comprise second and third grooves located on opposite sides of said first groove and parallel to said first groove, a fourth groove extending across the surface of said panels to opposite of said upstanding members and intersecting said first groove, and fifth grooves located on opposite sides of said fourth groove and parallel thereto.

4. A display device as in claim 1, wherein said decorative panel mounted to said bottom members is provided with a plurality of openings therein, a piece of cloth mounted to the underneath side of said panel adjacent said openings, and a plate mounted directly below said cloth.

5. A display device as in claim 1, wherein said frame comprises four upstanding members and four laterally disposed top and bottom members. 

1. A display device, comprising a frame provided with upstanding members spaced apart from each other and laterally disposed top and bottom members connected thereto, transparent members mounted to and extending between said upstanding members, decorative panels mounted to said top and bottom members, said decorative panels being provided with a first groove extending across the surface thereof to opposite of said upstanding members and second grooves complimentary in configuration to said first groove and spaced therefrom, said first groove being wider in dimension than said second grooves, a transparent support plate having top and bottom edges fitted within said first groove in concealed relationship and side edges abutting said opposite of said upstanding members in concealed relationship, and an object to be displayed mounted on opposite sides of said transparent support plate.
 2. A display device as in claim 1, wherein said object is divided into substantially symmetrical parts, said parts being mounted on opposite sides of said transparent support plate.
 3. A display device as in claim 1, wherein said second grooves comprise second and third grooves located on opposite sides of said first groove and parallel to said first groove, a fourth groove extending across the surface of said panels to opposite of said upstanding members and intersecting said first groove, and fifth grooves located on opposite sides of said fourth groove and parallel thereto.
 4. A display device as in claim 1, wherein said decorative panel mounted to said bottom members is provided with a plurality of openings therein, a piece of cloth mounted to the underneath side of saiD panel adjacent said openings, and a plate mounted directly below said cloth.
 5. A display device as in claim 1, wherein said frame comprises four upstanding members and four laterally disposed top and bottom members. 